


And I Will Make It Through This Night Alive

by DoctorFitzy (KittooningMalijah)



Series: webseries au [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Gen, M/M, Webseries AU, drabble prompt, fluff if you squint, youtubers au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 09:04:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6651550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittooningMalijah/pseuds/DoctorFitzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo has been home from the hospital for one month. He never expected the first night he was left alone to be the night a storm caused a power outage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And I Will Make It Through This Night Alive

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: "don't sneak up on me" + FitzWard

          Leo had been home for over a month, free to roam around the apartment building and visit with neighbors as much as he wanted -- not that he wanted to, with how hard it was to get a full sentence out without stopping to think about it. That meant his only real options for entertainment or something to fill his time were to read, distract himself with his laptop, or watch something on television. At least, those were his options until a storm knocked the power out.

          He had his knees tucked up close to his chest while he sad on the couch in the dark, staring out the window at the rain coming down hard enough to bounce off the roofs of the buildings across the street. The fact that Jemma was out on a date with some NASA scientist she’d met a conference the weekend before didn’t bother him in the slightest, it was the fact that there was no noise besides the rain and thunder that made him uneasy. It was good for her, after worrying about him for so long, to get out and do something for herself, and Leo recognized that, but an empty apartment wasn’t something he liked to be faced with even before everything had happened.

          The sound of thunder made him flinch, squeezing his eyes shut so that he could try to focus on something else. Being alone was something he was used to, of course, with being confined to the building for as long as he had been, but it was the first storm of the season, and hadn’t realized how much it would affect him.

          Each roll of thunder was like the impact to his head all over again, and the rain and hail hitting the roof sounded too much like hurried footsteps, and every flash of lightning looked like flames if he wasn’t paying enough attention. The problem was that he hadn’t been prepared for everything to come rushing back in full technicolor, and he wasn’t at all okay with sitting in the apartment alone while his heart raced and the beat of it echoed in his ears.

          The flashbacks were exactly why he’d ventured out of the apartment, going next door to where his closest friend who _didn’t_  have other plans that night should be. If Grant wasn’t home, he’d be stuck going to Lincoln, Skye, and Trip for refuge, and while that wouldn’t necessarily be _terrible_ , it would be nothing but pitying looks for a few hours until he finally caved and went back to spending the evening alone in his own apartment -- assuming Jemma wasn’t back by then unless she was finding someone else to stay until the storm had rolled through.

          He’d only knocked twice with his knuckles against the wood before the door swung open, and he was waved inside without a word. It made sense -- there was no way Grant would be busy with anything when there was no power unless his laptop still had battery, which the Scotsman doubted, based on how much they both used technology, and it was likely possible that he’d been debating whether or not to go down the hall himself.

          Leo crossed over to the couch without so much as a greeting, taking up the same position he’d been in back in his own living room -- legs hugged close to his chest, back pressed against the corner where the cushions met the armrest, and eyes locked on the falling water and ice outside. He was completely settled, if a bit tense, for a few minutes, until he was startled by a gentle hand on his shoulder, flinching and moving toward the middle of the couch to get away from it with a short yelp of surprise. Seconds later, there was a loud boom of thunder, and then a lightning strike that looked as though it was only a few blocks away, which didn’t help his anxiety in the slightest.

          The next time Grant approached, he did so slowly, and the smaller man could feel the cushion next to him sink with the added weight before a more careful touch was applied to his arm. “Hey... It’s just me.”

          Logically, there was no reason to be afraid of one of his best friends, but with the memories playing over in his head, and the sound and flashes from the storm, flinching was the only thing Leo couldn’t stop himself from doing even with the right amount of warning. He needed to take a deep breath, inflate his lungs with their greedy fill of oxygen before he could even try to speak while giving a shaky nod of his head.

          “D-don’t... just... c-come out... come... _sneak_  up on- on me.”

          It was a quiet request, the words made shakier and slower by the fact that his mind refused to slow down long enough to focus on them for more than a few seconds at a time, and he could see Grant’s nod out of the corner of his eye while he took another slow breath. If he could at least manage to relax for an hour or two, he might be able to go to bed and sleep through the rest of the storm without any issue, but _relaxing_  might be the hardest part of that plan.

          After a long pause, the storm filling the silence that would have been left between them, the scientist was forced to react quickly, instinctively clinging to his friend’s shoulders while being lifted off of the cushions. He’d lost track of how many times he’d been carried in the month he’d been out of the hospital, but it was enough times that it was no longer a surprise when it was his mode of transportation -- whether it was down the hall between apartments, to a bedroom from a couch, or simply to the kitchen when he was feeling particularly lazy and wanted a snack. Grant had taken it upon himself to make sure Leo got where he needed to be, even if that meant potentially hurting himself in the process.

          “Come on.” He didn’t have to say the words, but hearing a familiar voice so close to his ear was the best thing that could have happened just then, and Leo rested his head on his friend’s shoulder with a small smile. Having him so close meant he was warmer, fingers caught in the soft cotton of a white t-shirt while they made their way into Grant’s bedroom, and with that warmth came security, and the ability to feel completely safe even when thunder echoed through the small apartment.

          He was set down on the edge of the bed all too soon, instinctively refusing to let go as a silent signal that he wanted more contact. If his stuttering before was anything to go by, he was willing to bet that he wouldn’t be able to properly ask for it if he tried, and he kept his mouth shut while. His shoes were removed quickly, set aside and out of the way along with his socks while he waited for the signal that he was allowed to lay down.

          When it came, he expected his friend to go back out to the living room and continue whatever he’d been doing before Leo interrupted him, but he was pleasantly surprised when, instead, the blankets were moved so that he could have a warm body pressed against his. The comfort was there again, the unmistakably _safe_  feeling that came with the radiating heat and the familiar chest he was allowed to use as a pillow.

          It was hardly the first time they’d fallen asleep so close to each other, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last time, either, but it was different from all the others. For a little while, the storm wasn’t so scary, and Leo didn’t even think about the fire that had changed his entire life. All that mattered was the fact that he was getting the best sleep he’d had in months, and there was only one person to thank for it.


End file.
